Device for roping fish

ABSTRACT

A fish roping device, having a relatively U-shaped spring member with two arms, a rigid handle connected to the base section of the U-shaped spring member, a first arcuate member having a first end and a second end, the first arcuate member being pivotably connected near its second end to one arm of the spring member, a second arcuate member having a first end and a second end, the second arcuate member being pivotably connected near its second end to another arm of the spring member, a hinge for connecting together the second ends of the first and second arcuate members so that the arcuate members pivot relative to one another, the first and second arcuate members being movable between an open position in which the arms of the U-shaped member are pushed apart from a rest position, and a closed position which is entered when an impact is imparted on the hinge so that the arms of the U-shaped spring member return to the rest position, a rope having one end releasably connected to the first end of the first arcuate member and running therefrom through the hinge, the first end of the second arcuate member, to the handle; and a hook and ring respectively provided at the first ends of the first and second arcuate members for forming a loop in the rope which is tightenable by pulling on the rope when the arcuate members are in the closed position.

This is a continuation-in-part application of application Ser. No.585,391, filed Sep. 20, 1990, which issued on Oct. 22, 1991, as U.S.Pat. No. 5,058,306.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a device for securing a rope around thetail of a fish for the purpose of pulling the fish to the side of a boatand securing the same thereto.

It is well known that in fishing, once the fish is caught and broughtalongside a boat, the fish must be secured so that it can be brought onboard or secured alongside the boat. The conventional method of securingand landing a fish is to use a gaff which punctures and embeds itself inthe fish so that the fish can be lifted out of the water by means of thegaff. Although a gaff is an effective apparatus for removing a fish fromthe water, it has the significant drawback of causing substantial damageto the fish body. Such damage, which can take the shape of punctureholes, is highly undesirable in that it reduces the monetary value ofthe fish as a food item. Additionally, such punctures in the fish areundesirable in that they make it extremely difficult for a sportsfisherman to have the fish, in its natural condition, mounted by ataxidermist. Furthermore, the use of a gaff makes it virtuallyimpossible to return a fish to the sea after it has been caught.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for securing fish without puncturing the body of the fish.Such an apparatus overcomes the above-mentioned problems with the priorart gaffs, and is also usable for purposes such as tagging or markingfish, since the fish can be brought on board or held alongside a boatwithout injury so that it can be marked and then later released. Thiswas not possible utilizing a gaff.

Pursuant to this object, and others which will become apparenthereafter, one aspect of the present invention resides in a devicehaving a relatively U-shaped spring member with two arms connected at abase section. A rigid pole or handle is connected to the base section ofthe spring member so as to allow the operator to utilize the device.

Two arcuate members are connected together at one end by a hinge and arefurther attached, near the hinged ends, to the outer ends of the arms ofthe U-shaped spring member. The arcuate members are attached to thespring member so as to be movable between an open position and a closedposition. In the open position, the two arcuate members form anapproximately U-shape. In the open position, the arcuate members causethe arms of the spring member to be pushed apart so that a springtension exists in the spring member.

When a blow is directed against the hinge connecting the arcuatemembers, the tensioned arms of the U-shaped spring member return to aless tensioned position and cause the arcuate members to pivot togetherto form a closed, roughly circular configuration.

The ends of the arcuate members opposite the hinged together ends areprovided with a ring and a hook, respectively. A rope is fastened at oneend to the hook, and runs from the hook to the hinge between the arcuatemembers, and from the hinge through the ring in the other arcuatemember, and from this ring up to the handle, where the rope is held insome fashion by the operator of the device. The rope can also be held intension by an elastic band which is connected to the rigid pole orhandle.

When the arcuate members are in the open position, the rope forms atriangle. When the operator desires to rope the tail end of a fish, hestrikes the tail end of the fish in a spear-like manner with the devicein the area of the hinge between the arcuate members. This causes thearcuate members, together with the rope, to close about the tail of thefish. When the outer ends of the arcuate members carrying the ring andthe hook strike one another to form the roughly circular shape mentionedabove, the hook grasps the ring and the ring and the hook are disengagedfrom the arcuate members by physically pulling back the rigid pole orhandle so that the remainder of the device is separable from the ropewhile the rope remains as a sort of noose around the tail of the fish.

It is desirable for the elements making up the device to be formed of amaterial which is resistent to water. The rope is preferably made ofnylon so as to also be resistent to the corrosive nature of water,specifically salt water. The components of the roping device can be madeof materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, Monel, nylon, or somesort of carbon fiber.

In another embodiment of the invention, the handle is threaded or lockedby some other means into the base of the U-shaped member so that it isremovable therefrom. The handle can also be telescoping so as to alloweasier storage of the roping device.

If the inherent springiness of the U-shaped member is insufficient toclose the arcuate members quickly enough, an additional spring can bearranged between the arms of the U-shaped member so as to assist intheir return to the initial position.

In still another embodiment, the rope is held at the hinge between thearcuate members by hook elements integral with the two parts of thehinge so as to close about the rope when the arcuate members are in theopen position, and open so as to release the rope when the arcuatemembers are in the closed position.

In order to avoid damage to the fish, the ring provided at the outer endof one of the arcuate members, through which the rope passes, is angledinwardly so as to reduce the possibility of digging into the fish.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of a device for roping fish pursuant to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the device in an opened position and a closedposition;

FIG. 3a is a view of a first embodiment of a hinge connecting thearcuate members in a closed position;

FIG. 3b is a view similar to FIG. 3a of the hinge in an open position;

FIG. 4a is a side view of the ring through which the rope passes;

FIG. 4b is a top view of the ring in FIG. 4a;

FIG. 5 illustrates engagement of the ring and hook in the closedposition;

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of part of the inventivedevice;

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of a hinge;

FIG. 8 is another view of the hinge of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a view similiar to FIG. 2 of the device having the hinge ofFIGS. 7 and 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the roping apparatus is made up of a handle1 which is of a sufficient length to allow an operator to safely snarethe tail end of a fish from the deck of a boat. The handle is connectedto the base portion of a relatively U-shaped spring member 2. Arcuatemembers 3, 4, which are connected together by a hinge 5 so that themembers 3, 4 can pivot relative to one another, are each connected toone arm of the U-shaped spring member 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the arcuate members 3, 4 have an open position and aclosed position relative to one another. The open position is shown insolid lines while the closed position is shown in dashed lines. The armsof the U-shaped spring member 2 are connected to the arcuate members 3,4 so that when the arcuate members 3, 4 are in the open position thereis spring tension between the arms of the U-shaped spring member 2. Thehinge 5 locks the arcuate members in the open position.

When the roping device is thrust at a fish, and the hinge 5 strikes thebody of the fish, the hinge 5 closes and the arcuate members 3, 4 areforced into their closed position by the spring force of the U-shapedspring member 2.

The hinge 5 is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 3b. FIG. 3ashows the hinge 5 when the arcuate 3, 4 members are in their openposition. The hinge 5 has jaw members 6 which are closed in the openposition of the arcuate members 3, 4. The closed jaw members 6 form anopening through which a rope 7 can pass. When the arcuate members returnto their closed position, the jaw members 6 of the hinge 5 open so as torelease the rope 7.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4a and 4b, the free end of one of the arcuatemembers 3 is provided with a ring 8 which is releasably held betweenparallel arms 9, 10 of a holding member 11. In order to avoid injury toa fish, the 8 ring can be bent 45° so as to point toward the otherarcuate member 4. Near the area where the ring 8 is bent, small points12 are provided which engage between the parallel arms 9, 10 of theholding member 11. The ring 8 is releasable from the member 11 after animpact is imparted upon the ring 8 and by physically pulling the handle1 and the rope 7 backwards.

The free end of the other arcuate member 4 is also provided with aholding member 11. This holding member 11 in the arcuate member 4releasably holds a hook 13, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The hook 13 has alever member 14 which pivots at the base 15 of the hook 13 so as to openor close the hook 13. One end of the rope 7 is fastened to the base end15 of the hook 13. From here, the rope 7 loops through the openingformed by the jaws 6 of the hinge 5. From the hinge 5, the rope 7 passesthrough the ring 8 which is held by the arcuate member 3. From the ring8, the rope leads up to the handle 1 and is in turn held by an elasticband 17 and/or the operator.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative construction 11a of the holding memberthat holds the hook 13. In this embodiment the holding member 11aincludes a first rigid arm 21, and a second arm 22 hinged to the firstarm 21. A spring 23 is connected between the arms 21, 22 so that whenthe hook 13 is placed between the arms 21, 22 the spring 23 is tensionedto hold the hook 13 in place. The free ends of the arms 21, 22 arecurved so as to facilitate holding the hook 13.

As seen in FIG. 2, when the arcuate members 3, 4 are in the openposition, the rope 7 is held in a position which would embrace an objectapproaching the hinge 5. When the tail end of a fish impacts the hinge5, the U-shaped spring member 2 closes the arcuate members 3, 4 whichcauses the hook 13 and the ring 8 to strike one another and becomereleased from the arcuate members 3, 4, respectively, by physicallypulling back on the handle 1. When the ring 8 strikes the hook 13, thelever 14 opens to allow the ring 8 to enter the hook 13 and then closesto prevent the ring 8 from being released from the hook 13. Thisengagement of the ring 8 and hook 13 causes a type of lasso to be formedby the rope which is tightened around the tail of a fish when theelastic band 17 on the handle 1 and the operator pull back on the handleand the rope.

Once the ring 8, hook 13 and rope 7 are disengaged from the arcuatemembers 3, 4 and the hinge 5, the rope remains around the tail of thefish and the remainder of the device is removed from the water.

In order to facilitate storage of the apparatus, the handle 1 can betelescoping and can be threaded, or detachably attached by other means,into the base of the U-shaped spring member 2.

If faster or more forceful spring action is required of the U-shapedspring member 2, an additional spring can be provided between the armsof the spring member. In turn, the spring 16 can also be used as thesole source of spring force in the member 2.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative construction of the hinge 5a. Inthis embodiment, the hinge 5a includes two hinge members 30, 31 whichare respectively connected to the arcuate members 3, 4, and hingedtogether by a pin 32. Each of the hinge members 30, 31, has a jaw member6a which holds the rope 7 when the arcuate members 3, 4 are in the openposition. Two spring members 33, 34 are provided so as to maintain thearcuate members 3, 4 in the open position, and to close the arcuatemembers upon impact of the spring members 33, 34 with a fish. As shownin FIG. 9, one of the spring members 34 has a first end 34a attached tothe arcuate member 4 at a distance from the hinge 5a. A longitudinalportion 34b of the spring member 34 runs parallel to the arcuate member34. A second end 34c of the spring member 34 is bent in a U-shaped andrests movably in a slot in the hinge member 31. The spring member 33 hasa first end 33 a which is connected to the arcuate member 3, and alsohas a portion 33b parallel to the arcuate member 3, similar to thespring member 34. A second end 33c of the spring member 33 is bent so asto extend into a slot in the hinge member 30, and has a T-shape. The top33d of the T-shaped end 33c of the spring member 33 engages the end 34cof the spring member 33 and rests in slots 35, 36 in the hinge members30, 31 when the arcuate members 3, 4 are in the open position, so as tohold the end 34c in place and maintain the arcuate members 30, 31 in theopen position. When a fish strikes the longitudinal portions 33b, 34bthe top 33d of the T-shaped end 33c is pushed out of the slot 35 whichpermits the hinge members 30, 31 to pivot and cause the arcuate members3, 4 to close around the fish.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in adevice for roping fish, it is not intended to be limited to the detailsshown, since various modifications and structural changes may be madewithout departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by letters patent isset forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A roping device, comprising: a relativelyU-shaped spring member having two arms connected by a base section; arigid handle connected to the base section of the U-shaped springmember; a first arcuate member having a first end and a second end, saidfirst arcuate member being pivotably connected near said second end toone arm of said spring member; a second arcuate member having a firstend and a second end, said second arcuate member being pivotablyconnected near said second end to another arm of said spring member;hinge means for connecting together the second ends of the first andsecond arcuate members so that the arcuate members pivot relative to oneanother, said hinge means including a first hinge member connected tothe second end of said first arcuate member, and a second hinge memberconnected to the second end of said second arcuate member, said firstand second hinge members being articulated to one another, said hingemeans further including a first spring member having one end connectedto said first arcuate member, and a second spring member having one endconnected to the second arcuate member, the first spring member having asecond end which is slidable in a first slot formed by the hingemembers, the second spring member having a second end slidable in thefirst slot and a transverse section engageable with the second end ofthe first spring member and movable into a second slot in the hingemembers transverse to the first slot so as to hold said arcuate membersin an open position, said first and second arcuate members being movablebetween the open position in which the arms of the U-shaped member arepushed apart from a rest position, and a closed position which isentered when an impact is imparted on said spring members so that saidarms of said U-shaped spring member return to said rest position; a ropehaving one end releasably connected to the first end of the firstarcuate member and running therefrom through the hinge means, the firstend of the second arcuate member, to the handle; and means provided atthe first ends of the first and second arcuate members for forming aloop in said rope which is tightenable by pulling on said rope when saidarcuate members are in said closed position.
 2. An apparatus as definedin claim 1, wherein said handle is detachably attached to said U-shapedspring member.
 3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein saidhandle is threaded to said U-shaped spring member.
 4. An apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein said handle is telescoping.
 5. An apparatusas defined in claim 1; and further comprising spring means extendingbetween the arms of the U-shaped spring member.
 6. An apparatus asdefined in claim 1, wherein at least one of the handle, the U-shapedmember and the arcuate members is made of a non-corrosive material. 7.An apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein the non-corrosive materialis aluminum.
 8. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said hingemeans includes hook members which interact so as to hold the rope whensaid arcuate members are in said open position, and release the ropewhen said arcuate members move to said closed position.
 9. An apparatusas defined in claim 1, wherein the rope is made of a non-corrosivematerial.
 10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the rope ismade of nylon.
 11. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said ropelooping means includes a hook fixed to the one end of the rope andreleasably held in the first end of the first arcuate member, and a ringreleasably held in the first end of the second arcuate member, said ropepassing through the ring, and said ring being engageable with said hookwhen said arc members move into said closed position so as to form alasso.
 12. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, and further comprising anelastic cord firmly connected at one end to said rigid handle, and atanother end releasably connected to said rope so as to hold said rope intension.
 13. An apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the first endof the first arcuate member has a first fixed prong and a second pronghinged to said first prong, a spring being connected between the firstand second prongs so that the prongs releasably hold the hook by springforce of the spring.